Tamil Nadu may have a new Chief Electoral Officer if the incumbent Praveen Kumar has his way.
Mr. Praveen Kumar, who will complete four years by the end of this month, is said to have requested the Election Commission to relieve him of the post and choose a successor. He appears to have been hurt after the DMK moved President Pranab Mukherjee early this month for action against Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath and him for allegedly abusing their powers to ensure the AIADMK’s victory in the Lok Sabha polls.
After all, he received widespread appreciation for the way he conducted the 2011 Assembly elections. Also, he was the natural choice of the Election Commission to be sent to the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in May this year as a special observer after a controversy erupted over the denial of permission to BJP candidate Narendra Modi for a rally. Of course, this is not the first time that Mr. Praveen Kumar expressed his desire to leave the post. About two years ago, he had told the Commission that he wanted to leave, but no successor could be found.
